The Path is Grey
by LadyHogwarts2408
Summary: Following a horrific assault at the Dursley's in the summer following Ali's 5th year, Ali escapes and discovers the truth that has been kept from her. Follow her on her path of recovery from the ultimate betrayal, to her plans of vengeance. WARNING: Girl!Harry. Weasley&Dumbledore Bashing. Explicit scenes of rape, abuse, torture and sex. Will be Girl!Harry/Severus Snape pair.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish it, I do not own Harry Potter, nor any and all of it's subsidiaries as owned by J.K Rowling, Warner Bros etc. All characters, and so far all places, belong to J.K Rowling. Only the ongoing plot of this story is mine, and I do not make, nor wish to make, any money from this story.**

 **AN: '** _Italics' = Ali's private thoughts._

The pain was overwhelming. She ought to be used to it after all this time, but somehow it still managed to surprise her anew. The belt came down across her back, again and again and again. It was endless, it was torturous. They say there's a fine line between pleasure and pain; in this case they were wrong. Her consciousness was fading rapidly. After all, why does one need to stay conscious when they already know what is going to happen.

Blackness was threatening her eyes when a new sound breached her ears.

"You're going to take it now you little freak. You thought I'd already beaten you, oh how wrong you are little freak. I am going to take all of you! No one is going to touch you after this, you filthy little whore! I'll beat that freakishness out of you if it's the last thing I do!"

The sound of a zip being undone reached her ears and Ali was terrified.

Her body was trembling, each limb sensitised with heightened awareness. She could feel the panic beginning to overwhelm her as her uncle's cock was slowly revealed to her.

"I'm going to make you hurt you little freakish fuck! You think you can go around taking my hard earned money? Well think again! It's about time you earned your board here!"

Vernon could see the terror in those otherworldly green eyes, and he revelled in it. Beating her had become boring over the years. Oh sure, it still produced some satisfaction for him, but he could tell she had become used to them, desensitised to them, and she no longer tried to fight. Survival instinct he supposed, but it was the fear he chased, it was the fear that he craved. "Oh yes, you're going to pay for my kindness, let's see if you can. I wonder how much your worth. How much do you think people would pay to fuck you like the common whore you are?"

The laughter that reached Ali's ears terrified her more than any other sound she'd ever heard, and the malicious glee in those muddy brown eyes told her just how much her Uncle was enjoying that fear.

Ali was thrown roughly into position. Her head pressed down into the pillows as her uncle drew her legs apart so she was on her knees with her arse in the air, her privates exposed. She could feel her limbs shaking, her heart pounding within her chest, her magic gathering within her, trying to protect her; but she knew it wouldn't, couldn't. It had never felt the same to her in Privet Drive, it felt sluggish, constrained. Ali felt Vernon's hand on her neck, forcing her further into the mattress, holding her in place. She could feel him lining up behind her, his weight starting to press down upon her. His other hand guided his cock to her entrance and he pushed; and Ali screamed. Tears were pouring down her face. She was being ripped in two, her hymen savagely torn to shreds. Then she felt him stop, felt the weight of his balls pressing against her, felt the weight of him as the morbidly obese man breathed through the exertion and felt the sweat pouring off him and landing on her back.

Vernon held still once he'd entered her to the hilt, savouring the feeling of finally winning. He looked down at the broken girl below him and the pleasure he derived from that pitiful sight almost caused him to cum on the spot, but he was going to savour this, he'd never let this feeling go so quickly. He moved his hands to her hips, and breathed deeply, preparing to ravage her, to fuck her so brutally she wouldn't be able to walk for a week.

Ali felt the hands come to stop at her hips, and she knew he must be preparing to move, she tried to brace herself for what was coming, tried to prepare for the pain, but she couldn't. As Vernon started thrusting Ali knew she wouldn't be able to cope and as his words drifted down to her, she did the only thing she could. She retreated into her mind, her body becoming a blank shell that she looked upon with cold detachment.

Vernon saw those eyes slowly go blank, totally unseeing and he laughed. Finally! Finally, he had broken her, and with one last thrust he came deep inside her, unsurpassed pleasure coursing through his veins. Once he came down from his high, he quickly withdrew, tucked his softening cock back into his trousers and left the little whore in the puddle of her own blood, sweat and tears; however, in his haste to top off his wonderful evening with some rather fine whisky he had recently acquired, he had forgotten to lock the door.

Ali lay there, twitching slightly but otherwise perfectly still, and slowly awareness returned to her eyes; eyes that would forever be haunted with the knowledge and pain of what was stolen from her, the very last of her innocence. As she lay there, she catalogued her injuries, years of doing so allowing her to compartmentalise the pain in order to focus. She felt fluid seeping out from between her legs, stinging as it did so. Her breathing was slightly laboured so she was fairly sure she'd at least cracked a rib. And then of course there were the welts on her back, almost all open and bleeding. All in all, not the worst shape she'd been in, physically anyway; emotionally, well that would have to be dealt with at a later date. She had far more pressing concerns.

' _He asked how much I was worth, how much people would pay. Fuck Fuck Fuck, would he do it? Really? Before, I'd have said no. But then I never thought he would actually rape me. Gods, he raped me, he stole my virginity from me! I can't believe it, I can't believe he actually did it. And I did nothing to stop him. God, maybe I deserved it. NO! Stop it Alexandria. Focus. I need a plan. Right, he's said he's going to let other people pay to fuck me. Fact one. He's fucked me. Fact two. Regardless of whether he actually does whore me out, he's certainly going to want to keep fucking me and that is not happening. Fact three. So we have to escape. How? Sirius is gone so who's left? Do I write to the Order? No, they all report to Dumbledore and as I have already told him what goes on this house and he still feels it's safer for me to stay then no one is going to go against him to rescue me, and even if by some miracle they do, I'll be sent back here as soon as Dumbledore finds out. So no, that's the Order out. The Weasley's perhaps? No, same problem. Hermione? No, again too much of a Dumbledore lover. Remus? Urgh, maybe but I've no idea where he is, he's usually within the Werewolf packs and he can't abandon that just for me. That's if he even still wants to have anything to do with me after Sirius. No! Not going there. Focusing. Right, well that is everyone I know out so I guess I'll have to save myself. Ok, I can do this. First thing I'm going to need is money. That means Gringotts, and hopefully they can change it into pounds as I have no hope of remaining incognito in Diagon Alley. Then I'll just hide out in the muggle world, probably shouldn't bring Hedwig, she's too conspicuous so I'll just have to send her out on her own and tell her to find me at Hogwarts. Ok. Now how to get out of the house unnoticed by the Dursley's, whichever Order member is guarding me, and then into Diagon Alley?'_

As Ali lay on her bed, silently planning her escape, the Dursley's ate their dinner, totally ignoring the girl upstairs. By the time the Dursley's had retired for the night and the deafening snores of Dudley and Vernon reached her ears, Ali had come up with a plan. Gingerly she swung her legs over the side of her bed pausing as she braced herself against the lingering pain. Breathing deeply she stood up, deftly avoiding the creaking floorboard. As quickly and quietly as she could she grabbed Dudley's old backpack, lifted up the loose floorboard and pulled out her wand, her invisibility cloak, and the Maruader's Map. Packing them and checking she hadn't missed anything she turned to her wardrobe. There was nothing she owned that wouldn't attract far more attention than she wanted in Diagon Alley, she'd have to steal something from Aunt Petunia. Sighing she braced herself for the next part of the plan. Turning towards the window she gently eased it open. Hedwig was watching with curious amber eyes, sensing her mistress needed her to remain very quiet.

"Hedwig, love," Ali softly whispered, "I need you to look after yourself for the next few months. I'm sorry, but I don't know where I'm going to end up staying for the rest of the summer and if it's in the Muggle world you'd attract far too much attention. I'll meet you at Hogwarts on September 1st but until then I need to stay under the radar. I can't have Dumbledore find me and sending me back here. Do understand girl?" Hedwig looked into those bright green eyes that were almost frantic with worry and bobbed her head. She could look after herself for a little while, maybe she'd even find a mate to have hatchlings with, that would surely cheer up her mistress. Ali gave a sigh of relief when she saw Hedwig bob her head. Merlin was she thankful that she had such a wonderfully intelligent owl. As quietly as she could she picked the lock on the cage, when she finally got it open Hedwig hopped out and up onto her shoulder. "Thank you Hedwig. I love you girl, make sure you stay safe. I need my oldest friend." Hedwig affectionately nuzzled Ali's ear and preened her hair back, and with one last glance at her mistress, flew out the window.

' _God I hope the Order guard didn't notice her. Bloody hell this is stressful'_

After watching Hedwig's form for a few more seconds, Ali gently pulled the window closed, not bothering to shut it fully fearing any extra noise. Grabbing her backpack, and once again mindful of her nakedness she blessed her good fortune at the unlocked door and silently made her way to the bathroom. Stray moonlight was streaming through the window and Ali was grateful for it, there was no way she could risk turning on the light. She took a glance in the mirror, and breathed a sigh of relief that there was no blood on her face, though there was a little on her neck. Not wanting to risk the sound of the tap, she grabbed one of Aunt Petunia's make up wipes and quickly washed her face and neck, she was about to leave when she remembered why she was actually leaving this hellish house in the first place and realised she probably smelt horrific. Once that thought made it through her brain the stench of stale sex and blood reared their ugly head again and Ali nearly retched. Swallowing down her bile she grabbed more face, frantically cleaning as much as possible, the horror of what occurred earlier was almost overwhelming, she felt the tears prick at her eyes and the uncomfortable feeling in her chest increased as she struggled to hold in her sobs.

' _Gah! Stop! Stop! Stop! Need to get through this. Need to get away from here. Escape Now. Break down Later. Fuck Alexandria! Get a bloody hold of yourself. Breathe! Breathe!'_

As she finished cleaning herself, a full pack of make up wipes later, Ali finally felt her breathing even out. Looking in the mirror again she grabbed the hairbrush and tidied her hair as much as she could, noticing stray dried blood flecks as she did. Tying it up in a pony tail, she rolled on some her Aunt's deodorant and in a flash of inspiration she grabbed the rest of her Aunt's make up bag, finding some foundation she quickly rubbed some over her scar.

Finally, she made her way over to the laundry basket and looked for something to wear. She found a black skirt that on her rather short, 5 foot 4 inch frame conveniently fell midway down her calves. She also found a cream satin blouse. It would do nothing to hide the belt marks on her back, most of which were weeping slightly, but knowing she had a dark green jumper in her trunk she reasoned she could probably get away with it, especially in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, she couldn't find a bra that would fit, and her old ones didn't anymore, however she had very little in the breast department anyway, a lifetime of neglect and starvation will do that to a girl. Satisfied, she left to start her journey downstairs, knowing that what was coming up would make the previous parts of tonight's expedition look like child's play. Tiptoeing across the landing with her backpack she began the torturous descent down the stairs. Her heart was hammering wildly in her chest, this was the second riskiest part, almost all the stairs creaked in one way or another thanks to Dudley's second favourite game of jumping on them in an effort to annoy Ali in her cupboard. It usually worked, for the first few years when she was still slightly afraid of spiders anyway. Eventually she made it to the bottom of the stairs; pausing for a moment to check the snores were still even, she continued to the cupboard, got out her bobby pin and tried to pick the lock. After 10 minutes of effort, each second of which increased her anxiety at being discovered, the door was open and it was a quick press of her hand against the lock to open her trunk. Looking down at her meagre belongings she had a moment of regret that she wouldn't be able to take them all with her, but escaping with a heavy trunk was just not a possibility. As quickly as she could she grabbed her green jumper, and her cloak, picked up her school shoes which were the only decent pair of shoes she owned and put them on. She brought out her Firebolt and the album Hagrid had given her and packed them. Everything else she would have to leave. Sighing she locked her trunk again, she could always hope that Vernon didn't destroy it, though she knew that was rather unlikely. Quickly she made her way to her Aunt's handbag. She needed muggle money. She had enough wizarding money to pay for a fare on the Knight Bus, but as her excursion in her Third Year had proven, you can't stay anonymous on that bus, well she couldn't at least, thus she would be travelling muggle style, definitely slower, but infinitely safer. Her Aunt had twenty pounds in her purse, but she still gave a once over of the hallway to see if she could spy her Uncle's wallet. Fortune smiled on her as she found it with sixty pounds inside. Swiping that up too she moved towards the back door, hoping to avoid the Order member who would surely be guarding the front. Just before she opened the door, she double checked her back pack, got out her wand and covered herself in her invisibility cloak. Taking a bracing breath, she started easing the door open, she stopped suddenly when it screeched. Heart pounding in her ears she looked up at the ceiling, as if she could see the hopefully sleeping occupants upstairs. Three seconds, four, five, there were no sounds of someone jumping out of bed, she breathed out a sigh of relief and slipped through the door. She thought about closing it but fear of a repeat noise stopped her. Her safety was more important than them being burgled. Dashing across the garden as quietly as she could she reached the shed, climbing onto the raised flower beds she started lifting herself up onto the roof. Panting with the exertion and trembling through the pain of her back she managed to lift her leg up onto the window sill and push herself up. Lying on the roof she gave herself precious seconds to breathe, her back was in agony, and the welts littering it had all cracked open again. But she didn't have time to stop. Pushing herself up, she looked down into the neighbour's garden, it was quite a jump, a good six feet by her estimate, but there was nothing for it. She didn't dare risk using her broom. She'd used it at the Weasley's over the summer of course, but she had a nagging suspicion that Privet Drive was watched more closely for magic, after all she got a warning for house elf magic, much better not to risk it at all. Gathering her courage, she jumped.

' _Oops, that's slightly ruined their flowers, oh well nothing for it. I'll never be coming back here anyway'_

Ali took off running toward the side gate, gently opening the bolt, she rushed through. Finally on the road, cloak billowing behind her, she ran, as fast as she could towards the town centre. Twenty minutes later, with sweat pouring down her face with a crippling stitch she stopped at the bus stop, and cursed all the Gods that the busses wouldn't run again until six o'clock in the morning. It was twenty past one now and there was no way she could stay in one place that long. _'Once they find out I haven't caught the Knight Bus this'll be the first place they look.'_ Panic was starting to cloud her mind and she was just about to throw caution to the wind and hail the Knight Bus when she noticed a 24hour minicab service. Rushing over, she impatiently rang the bell.

"Excuse me! Excuse me! Is anyone here?"

A man in his fifties, wearing a rather hideous greying cardigan and burgundy corduroy trousers finally came out from the back.

"Yes, yes, no need to shout my ear off. What can I do for you?"

"Oh I do apologise, I wasn't certain you could hear me and I'm in rather a rush. I need to get to London as quickly as possible, I've a family emergency you see."

"Where in London is it you need to go, little Miss?"

Cringing internally at this man's form of address for her she replied, "Charing Cross Road please sir."

"Alright, that'll be fine. Car's out front. Come along. Oh wait, I'll just let Bob know I'm off"

He disappeared into the back and Ali waited in the shop. Suddenly she heard him from the road, calling out for her rather impatiently.

' _Must be another exit somewhere.'_ She thought.

"Sorry, but could you give me an idea of how much it'll be? I just want to make sure I have enough cash out, I'm assuming you only take cash right?" ' _Not that I have any other means of paying of him but better to let him think I do rather than worrying I don't have enough'_

"That's right Miss, let me think, this time of night, shouldn't be any traffic, so best guess sixty five to seventy pounds."

"Alright, great, let's get going then."

Mercifully the ride was uneventful and the driver didn't feel the need to engage her in conversation, something she was thankful for. She really didn't have the energy to spin a lie about a non-existent family emergency. Just under an hour later they reached Charing Cross Road. Getting out halfway down the road she walked up the next few hundred yards to The Leaky Cauldron. ' _Merlin, a more beautiful sight I don't think I've ever seen.'_ Subtly checking for anyone watching her she opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron. Thankfully it was empty of even Tom as she really didn't know how she'd explain being here on her own at this time of night. Rushing across the bar and out the back she quickly tapped the right bricks to open the archway. Keeping her head down and walking briskly down the Alley she soon found herself outside the grand white marble building of Gringotts. Walking through the doors with her head held high she approached the nearest teller. Taking a glance at the nameplate she announced her presence.

"Greetings Riptooth. May your gold flow and your enemies tremble at your feet. I'd like to make a withdrawal from my vault and exchange it into Muggle pounds please."

 **AN:** Please review! This is the first story I've ever written outside of my English classes at school that may or may not have happened 10 or so years ago. As an avid reader of FanFiction, it has always infuriated me that authors post incomplete stories chapter by chapter. As a very new fledgling author/writer I am beginning to understand the need to know whether what you're writing is any good. So please review. I'll always appreciate constructive criticism. And just to let you know, I am already continuing with this story, and I fully intend to finish it. Thank you for your reviews!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish it, I do not own Harry Potter, nor any and all of it's subsidiaries as owned by J.K Rowling, Warner Bros etc. All characters, and so far all places, belong to J.K Rowling. Only the ongoing plot of this story is mine, and I do not make, nor wish to make, any money from this story.**

 **AN:** _'Italics'_ = Ali's private thoughts.

The Goblin looked up and she inwardly rejoiced as she saw the flash of a surprise cross the Goblin's face, and mentally thanked Hermione for lecturing Ron and her on how to be polite. ' _But I mean really, how stupid do you have to be to rude to the ones that handle your gold? That's just asking for trouble. Stupid arrogant Pure-Bloods.'_ Her mental rant on the deficiencies of Pure-Bloods was quite quickly interrupted however.

"Greetings Lady Potter. May your gold flow and your enemies tremble at your feet. I shall arrange for you to make a withdrawal and subsequent conversion. However, first I must insist that you speak with your account manager. Ragnok has been attempting communication for years with no response from yourself. I shall escort you to him now."

Riptooth jumped off his stool and was standing in front of her in almost the blink of an eye. "Come along please Lady Potter, there is no time to waste." Stunned silent as she was, it was really rather difficult for Ali to ascertain whether the Goblin was angry with her or not, but he didn't seem pleased either, she followed obediently lest he become more irritated.

' _What the fuck? I haven't received any communication from the Bank ever, and what's this about an account manager. What on earth is going on?! And why does he keep calling me Lady Potter?'_

They walked for what seemed like miles through marble hallways, decorated with rich tapestries depicting the Goblins victories as a warrior race. ' _They're really quite beautiful actually, a little bloodthirsty perhaps, but to each their own.'_ They eventually reached a non-descript wooden door with the name 'Ragnok – Potter Account Manager' written on a gold nameplate. Riptooth knocked upon the door and a few seconds later the responding 'Enter' was heard. Riptooth opened the door and announced her presence.

"Greetings Ragnok. I have the Lady Potter to see you."

"Do you now? Thank you Riptooth, you may leave."

Ali took in the sight before her, again the walls were marble, though it was a deep green rather than the blinding white of the Entrance Hall and hallways, a tapestry hung on the wall opposite the door. Ragnok sat behind a large dark wooden desk, with two bookcases behind him to either side. In front of the desk were two chairs. She was broken out of her observations by Ragnok addressing her.

"Greetings Lady Potter. May your gold flow and your enemies fall by your axe."

Ali promptly responded with the required greeting, "Greetings Ragnok. May your gold flow and your enemies fall by your axe."

"Well, we meet at last Lady Potter. Please, take a seat. I must say it has been most vexing trying to speak to you. For four years, ever since your reintroduction to the wizarding world I have been trying to get in touch with you. Would you care to explain why you have ignored the repeated requests of Gringotts?"

Ali sat there stunned, her mind whirring with confusion. "Ragnok, I apologise, but I have never received a single piece of correspondence from you or Gringotts, ever." Something within Ali was telling her she had to be firm with the Goblin sitting across from her, he seemed a most dangerous sort, a snake prepared to strike at any weakness.

"Really. That is most interesting." Ragnok gave her a quizzical gaze and Ali met that gaze head on and refused to break eye contact. "Yes, most interesting, particularly as it is illegal to intercept Gringotts post, confidential documents after all."

"Yes, I can quite understand why it would be illegal, but an action being illegal really doesn't prevent those determined to carry out said action does it?"

Ragnok gave a short bark of what Ali could only assume was laughter, "Quite true Lady Potter, quite true. Now may I ask have any other areas of your mail been disrupted? Letters from the Ministry, from the Wizengamot, fan mail etc?"

Ali shot Ragnok a rather blank look, ' _Why would any of those people be contacting me anyway?'_ "Um, no, I received a notice from the Ministry in the Summer before my Second Year warning me against the underage use of magic. A house elf had performed a hover charm in my kitchen, but aside from that, nothing."

A look of supreme irritation crossed Ragnok's face and he muttered under his breath in Gobbledygook, whilst rummaging about in the bookcase for a potion, quill and parchment. Returning to his desk he said, "Before we go any further Lady Potter, I need to verify your identity, usually this would not be necessary, with a record of your magical signature and your vault key, but as we have never met, I have no record of said signature. So if you would please place 7 drops of blood in the vial." He handed her a knife for her to slice her palm with and watched as the potion changed with each drop added. The contents swirled, going from a deep black to a midnight blue to a bright white to a brilliant gold to an amber orange, to a verdant green to a sunny yellow before it finally settled on a blood red. Ragnok placed the quill in the vial and it absorbed all of whatever potion was in it. When it was finished Ragnok placed it on the parchment and it began to write.

 _ **Lady Alexandria Lilian Potter**_

 _ **Date of Birth: 31**_ _ **st**_ _ **July 1980**_

 _ **Legal Status: Emancipated Minor**_

 _ **Father: James Charlus Potter**_

 _Date of Birth: 27_ _th_ _March 1960_

 _Date of Death: 31_ _st_ _October 1981_

 _ **Mother: Lily Anne Potter (née Evans)**_

 _Date of Birth: 30_ _th_ _January 1960_

 _Date of Death: 31_ _st_ _October 1981_

 _ **Godfather and Blood-Adopted Father: Sirius Orion Black**_

 _Date of Birth: 3_ _rd_ _November 1959_

 _Date of Death: 18_ _th_ _June 1996_

 _Date of Blood-Adoption: 3_ _rd_ _November 1980_

 _ **Godmother: Alice Marie Longbottom (née Smith)**_

 _Date of Birth: 24_ _th_ _May 1960_

(See overleaf for continued family history)

 _ **Titles and Estates:-**_

 _ **Heir Apparent of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter**_ _(by blood)_

Galleons: 5,500,000

Sickles: 260,000

Knuts: 43,000

 _ **Heir Apparent of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black**_ _(by blood and blood-adoption)_

Galleons: 3,700,650

Sickles: 1,350

Knuts: 2,765

 _ **Heir Presumptive of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Gryffindor**_ _(by blood)_

Galleons: 1,235,700

Sickles: 27,735

Knuts: 234

 _ **Heir Apparent of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin**_ _(Heir Presumptive by blood, Heir Apparent through Right of Conquest)_

Galleons: 2,347,760

Sickles: 2,376

Knuts: 745

 _ **Total Monetary Assets of Lady Alexandria Lilian Potter:-**_

Galleons: 12,784,110

Sickles: 582,922

Knuts: 46,744

N.B. At a conversion of £4.93 per Galleon, £0.29 per Sickle and £0.01 per Knut, the current rate of conversion provides an estimated Muggle fortune of £64,005,615.63.

(See overleaf for active investments, vault breakdown, assets, and property)

' _What the fuck is this? Sirius blood-adopted me? Why didn't he tell me? I'm rich? I mean I knew I had my vault, but there's no way that sort of money is in my vault. Heir Apparent of the Noble and Most Ancient House? What the hell is this? I've never heard of such a thing. Property, what the fuck! Merlin, what do I do?!'_

Breathing deeply, Ali tried to find an inner calm, she had a thousand questions and if she lost the plot now there was no way she was going to get them answered.

"Ragnok, could you please explain to me what on earth it means to be Heir Apparent of a House, secondly how am I possibly Heir to all these houses, and finally what in Merlin's name all of this means? Is this why you keep referring to me as Lady Potter? Oh, and fourthly, Blood-Adoption, what is that? What on earth is going on?"

"You mean to say that you don't know of this, do not know of your entitlements as the last Potter? How could you not? Surely you have read your parent's Will? You're Magical Guardian was obligated to provide it upon your 11th birthday."

"Of course I don't bloody know!" ' _Damn, losing it. Alexandria, stop! You won't find out anything if you lose it.'_ Taking a deep breath, Ali continued, "I apologise for my outburst Ragnok. I've been completely taken by surprise and I've had an immensely stressful day on top of that. What I meant to say is that no, I do not know or understand any of what is written on this parchment. I haven't read my parents Will nor do I know what a Magical Guardian is, let alone that I had one, and if, as you say I do have one, I've no idea who it is."

Ragnok shot her a look of pure disbelief, before letting out a string of what she assumed to be curses in Gobbledygook. "King be with me; this is worse than I thought. Right. Allow me to first go back to our original problem before we forget all about it. I believe you have had a mail ward placed upon you, presumably against your will, given your lack of knowledge on the subject. Gringotts can remove this for a fee, but I suggest that you wait and try to find out who placed the ward and whether they would notice it's removal before commencing. We can work around it for your Gringotts documents." Ali nodded to show she understood, waiting seemed sensible at this juncture. Ragnok continued, "Good. Now, onto your Inheritance Test. Firstly, it shows all Titles that you are eligible to inherit, and the monetary and physical assets you may inherit as a result of them. You are Heir Apparent to the Houses of Potter, Black, and Slytherin. You are Heir Presumptive to the House of Gryffindor." At the blank look Ali was giving him, Ragnok continued to explain. "The difference between being Heir Apparent and Heir Presumptive is thus; An heir apparent is a person who is first in a line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. An heir presumptive is someone who is first in line to inherit a title but who can be displaced by the birth of a more eligible heir. In the case of the Gryffindor and Slytherin lines, in order to be granted the Headship, one had to be of a certain power level and be accepted by the Family Ring. It is for this reason that these two lines have not had a Head for so long, and it is for this reason that you were listed as Heir Presumptive for both, originally anyway. In the case of the Slytherin line, at your birth you were Heir Presumptive to Tom Marvolo Riddle aka Lord Voldemort. I believe this was due to your common ancestors of the Peverell brothers. Mr. Riddle was descended from Antioch Peverell, whilst you are descended from Ignotus Peverell. Mr. Riddle, while immensely powerful, was not accepted by the Family Ring, and thus could not hold the title Lord Slytherin and so remained Heir Apparent. Should he have had children, and they were powerful enough, the title of Heir Apparent would have gone to them, whilst you remained Heir Presumptive. At his death, should he have been childless, you would have remained Heir Presumptive until you reached the age of 17 or became emancipated. At that point you could have taken the Headship, if no Heir Apparent had been born by that time, and of course, if you were judged worthy. That is what would have happened, however due to the events of Halloween '81, things are a little different. As you defeated the Heir Apparent of the Slytherin line and were already Heir Presumptive of that line, Magic deemed you worthy of the Right of Conquest, and thus you became Heir Apparent. Do you understand?"

Taking a moment to sort through what she had been told, Ali confirmed, "Yes, I believe I do, in relation to the Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin lines at least, I remain slightly confused in regards to the Black line. I am not a Black."

Ragnok had called for some tea whilst Ali replied and handed her a cup with a wry grin she said, "Thank you Ragnok, I hadn't appreciated how in need of a cup of tea I was."

"You're welcome my Lady, now let me continue. In regards to the Black Line you are both correct, and incorrect. You were not born a Black, though through your Paternal Grandmother you are related to the line. As you know, your Parents named Sirius Orion Black as your Godfather. Now, I did not personally know Heir Black nor did your Parents speak to me in regards to him blood-adopting you; However, I think it's safe to say that my following hypothesis is correct. Now, as I've no doubt you're aware, there was a war being fought at the time of your birth and both your Parents and Godparents were active participants. At that time, Sirius Orion Black was Heir Apparent to the Black family, he had no children and his younger brother Regulus, who was second in the line of succession, had already been killed. Being your Godfather, and with you related to the Black Family he could have named you Heir Presumptive in his Will, however Draco Lucius Malfoy had already been born on the 5th June 1980 to Lucius Abraxas Malfoy and Narcissa Cedrella Malfoy (née Black). Thus should Sirius Orion Black have died, regardless of what he wrote in his Will as to his desire for you to Head the Family, Draco Malfoy would have been named Heir Apparent as he had the closer blood ties to the Family. I think you can see why Sirius would have wanted to avoid that at all costs given the allegiances of the Malfoy Family at the time?"

Ali gave an emphatic nod as understanding dawned upon her. "Yes, I can understand completely as to why that situation needed to be avoided. The last thing that family needs is more money, power and influence."

Ragnok chuckled at Ali's vehemence. "Quite my Lady. So, assuming I am correct in what I've stated so far, I think it's quite simple to understand why your Parents and Godfather took such an extreme and permanent move to preventing that situation from occurring. Do you understand the nature and result of a blood-adoption?"

"I can't say that I have ever come across the term, but judging by your implications it seems to me that it would be the adoption of an infant that, rather than being simply legal, would provide the infant with some sort of third parent that they would be biologically related to…" Ali trailed off, wondering if she was correct.

"Yes, my Lady, that is it exactly. For all intents and purposes Sirius Orion Black was your Father and you were his daughter."

Upon hearing those words, the events of the day and the weeks previous caught up to Ali and she couldn't repress the tears that flowed. All these weeks she thought she had only lost her Godfather, and whilst it was still an enormous loss to her, especially given the lack of loving adults in her life; to hear that Sirius was her Father just somehow seemed to make that loss so much worse. Her chest ached and she was struggling to breathe, it was just all too much and she had no idea of how to process such astonishing news.

Ragnok looked at the haunted young woman opposite him as she lost all composure and felt the stirrings of sympathy. Never before had he cared for a Human, after all they had never done anything to engender positive feelings within him, but now…well he could see a broken young woman, who held a scent of blood and sickliness around her, completely overwhelmed by all she had lost. Yet regardless of her own struggles she had treated him with respect, as equals. She really was quite unique, and so Ragnok found himself doing that which he had never done for another Witch or Wizard. He got up from his desk, summoned a calming drought and a handkerchief and made his way over to the shattered woman. He took her hand and placed the vial within it and brought it up to her lips.

Ali felt something placed within her hand and looked up to find Ragnok standing just before her with a look of concern etched upon his face.

"Please my Lady, drink, it's a calming draught and I think you need it."

Gratefully, Ali swallowed the whole vial and accepted the handkerchief offered to her. As she felt the calming draught work, a wave of embarrassment crashed down upon her and she quickly tidied herself up as she tried to being her emotions back under control. "Thank you Ragnok, your kindness is most appreciated. I apologise for that display, I usually have a better control of my emotions but well, that was a rather momentous piece of news."

"It's quite alright Lady Potter. I take it you were rather close with Heir Black; I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you Ragnok."

"Now, do you feel ready to continue Lady Potter?"

"I…" Ali trailed off as she considered the question. That previous emotional upheaval had drained any remaining energy she had and she was absolutely exhausted. Looking at the clock she noticed it was past four o'clock in the morning. She'd been up since five o'clock the previous morning. ' _Well, no wonder I'm so bloody tired and emotionally wrung out. I need to rest, anything else he says is going to go in one ear and out the other, and I've a feeling that despite how kind he's been, he won't appreciate having his time wasted. No, much better to get some rest now and come back somewhat refreshed and capable of concentrating.' "_ I apologise Ragnok, but I don't think I'm capable of continuing tonight. I've been awake for almost twenty-four hours and I fear anything you tell me now will go in one ear and out the other, the last thing I want to do is waste your time. Would it be possible for me to come back tomorrow afternoon?"

Ragnok considered the woman in front of him and had to agree; she looked absolutely exhausted and completely overwhelmed. "That would be fine Lady Potter. Shall we say two o'clock this afternoon?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful, thank you. However, before I leave, I require some Muggle money, enough for a few nights stay in a hotel. I'm afraid I don't know how much they are though."

"I can't say I know either, however, I should think five thousand pounds would be sufficient, probably more than sufficient but it's always better to be safe than sorry. I'll arrange for Riptooth to have it ready as you leave. He'll find you in the Entrance Hall." As he was saying that, he filled out a form and placed it in a box upon his desk, as soon as he did the box flashed blue and the form disappeared and Ali stood up to leave.

"Thank you Ragnok, I cannot overstate how much I appreciate your assistance tonight. I look forward to seeing you later this afternoon. May your gold always flow and your enemies tremble before you."

Ragnok made his way round the desk and extended his hand, as Ali shook it, after a moment of extreme surprise he said, "You're most welcome Lady Potter. It has been a pleasure meeting you. You are quite different from your brethren; it is most refreshing. There will be a Goblin outside to escort you. May your gold always flow and your enemies tremble before you."

With a final nod towards her, Ragnok opened the door and gestured her through it. Ali returned his nod and accepted the escort of the Goblin waiting. As they walked through the halls, Ali couldn't help but continue to look at the Goblin accompanying her, finally she couldn't take it anymore and moved to speak. "Greetings Goblin. May your gold always flow and your enemies tremble before you. I hope you don't mind my asking, but are you Griphook by any chance?"

The Goblin startled at her respectful address and responded, "Greetings Lady Potter. May your gold always flow and your enemies tremble before you. In answer to your question, yes I am Griphook."

Ali smiled at him and said, "I thought so, it's been quite some time but you were the Goblin that escorted me to my vault for the first time. It's lovely to see you again. I hope you have been well."

Griphook looked at her with an unconcealed level of curiosity. "You are correct Lady Potter. I am quite surprised you remembered me by name. Never have I met a Witch or Wizard that would remember the name of a Goblin that merely escorted them to their vaults. Riptooth was right, you are most unusual."

Ali gave a peal of exhausted laughter. "Well, I suppose he's right, never have I been considered usual. Though I would've hoped my fellow Witches and Wizards were capable of common courtesy, though considering those I've met, that seems a rather foolish hope."

Griphook gave a bark of harsh and raspy laughter, but remained silent. Eventually they found themselves back in the Entrance Hall where Griphook led her to Riptooth. Turning to Griphook she said, "Thank you for your escort Griphook. Good day. May your gold always flow and your enemies tremble before you." Griphook returned her sentiments and left.

"Greetings Lady Potter. May your gold flow and your enemies fall before you."

"Greetings Riptooth. May your gold flow and your enemies fall before you."

"I have the funds you requested Lady Potter. Please sign here to confirm your receipt of them."

Ali signed where asked and accepted the envelope full of money.

"Thank you Riptooth. Good day. May your gold flow and your enemies fall before you."

"Good day Lady Potter. May your gold flow and your enemies fall before you."

And with that, Ali turned around, took a bracing breath and exited the bank. She briskly walked up the Alley, through the Leaky Cauldron and found herself once again on Charing Cross Road.

' _Right, I've no idea where I might find a hotel, there's no one to ask so I suppose I'll just pick a direction and hope for the best.'_ Turning left she walked down the road and eventually found a respectable looking hotel. Entering she went straight to the reception. Ringing a bell she waited. A few moments later the receptionist emerged.

"Good Morning Ma'am, how may I help you?"

With an exhausted chuckle, Ali muttered, "Yes I suppose it is isn't it." Clearing her throat, she continued, "Good Morning. I'd like to book a room for the rest of what's left of tonight and probably for tomorrow night as well please."

"You mean to check in now and stay for tonight as well?" At Ali's nod of confirmation, the receptionist looked at the available rooms and said, "I'm afraid I only have our Deluxe Suite available ma'am. It would come to a total cost of two thousand and eighty pounds."

Ali was quite startled at the cost, but at this point she really couldn't care less. "If I can be in it in the next five minutes, then that it fine. I am absolutely exhausted."

The receptionist gave a sympathetic nod, took Ali's details, and showed her to her room. Ali entered the room, put her backpack down and made straight for the bed, stripping her clothes off as she went. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish it, I do not own Harry Potter, nor any and all of it's subsidiaries as owned by J.K Rowling, Warner Bros etc. All characters, and so far all places, belong to J.K Rowling. Only the ongoing plot of this story is mine, and I do not make, nor wish to make, any money from this story.**

 **AN:** _'Italics'_ = Ali's private thoughts.

The next morning dawned bright and warm and Ali awoke feeling slightly groggy, but rested nonetheless. Savouring the feeling of a comfortable bed beneath her, she lay there for a while before finding the motivation to start her day. Swinging her legs out of bed, she absently noted that her back was much better than yesterday with only the occasional twinge of discomfort. Recalling that she had a meeting with Ragnok at two in the afternoon, she checked the time, found it to be just after 11 and headed to the bathroom. She stopped short at the sight of the huge walk-in shower and supposed that that, coupled with the bed, made any money she had spent worth it. It was halfway through her shower, when she reached to wash her privates that the previous day's events fell upon her like a tonne of bricks. Her body heaving with sobs, she sunk to her knees and let the water rain down upon her back.

' _Oh my god. I can't believe he did that. He stole my virginity from me, he stole the last thing I had of my childhood, my last bit of innocence. Urgh, I feel so dirty, I can still feel his hands on me, can…can still feel him in me. Merlin, who's going to want me now? Good for nothing, dirty, little freak. I must have deserved it, no one is capable of loving me, they all leave me, and it's my fault. Argh! I'm sorry! I don't mean to be such a freak, I don't mean to hurt people. I just want someone to love me, and now they never will. Now I'm used, and broken, and vile. I'm sorry! Argh! How dare he take that from me. That was mine. How dare he? I can't believe he took that from me. It wasn't supposed to be that way, it was supposed to be beautiful, loving. It wasn't supposed to be painful and violent. Merlin I hate him! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him! I should kill that fucking bastard! How dare he think he can break me. No way! That is not happening. I am not going to let that perverted fucker win! I am Alexandria Lilian Potter and damn it, I've killed a man, battled a basilisk, fought off a hundred dementors, competed in a tournament designed to bloody kill me, fought Voldemort and survived, battled Death Eaters, and been possessed by Voldie himself. If that's not a gross violation; I don't know what is. No. This will not be the thing that beats me. No fucking way!'_

Eventually, and filled with a new sense of determination, Ali picked herself up off the floor and continued washing. Looking in the mirror, with bright green eyes that belied a hint of steel behind them, Ali brushed her long black hair. Giving up on getting it to behave, though it was better now it was long, the weight seemed to tame it slightly, she put it up in a pony-tail, and admired her reflection. Her eyes had always been her favourite feature, the only sign of her Mother that she could see in her face. A face that had always seemed a little too masculine to her, a little too much like her Father. And whilst she loved her Father, she was a young woman, and quite frankly wouldn't mind a bit of femininity in her features. And so it was today that she was startled to find her face looking a little different, her cheekbones seemed a bit higher and sharper, her lips were a deeper blood red, and slightly fuller too. Looking back on it, she realised that aside from yesterday where it was too dark to see properly, she had hardly looked in a mirror since her return to the Dursley's; too depressed over the loss of Sirius to care much for what she looked like. ' _Well, isn't puberty a wonderful thing? About time I found out. Stupid bloody malnutrition and neglect. Honestly, if it weren't for those people I'd have found this out years ago! Oh well, can't change it now and at least it has finally happened anyway. Now time to get dressed. Fuck. I've nothing to wear. Really should have thought about that before I left.'_

Sighing, she threw on the dressing gown provided and went to order room service. Half an hour later with a large bowl of porridge and a platter of various fruits in front of her, she ate ravenously. Once she'd finished the cup of coffee that accompanied her rather late breakfast she got dressed in yesterday's clothes, grimacing in disgust at the dried blood stains on her shirt. She then left the hotel in search of a clothes shop. Finding a Debenhams she went in and found 3 skirts that reached below her knee, a green, black and navy blue one. They'd look rather old on her in the Muggle world, but they'd work for the Wizarding one. She then went in pursuit of some shorts and dresses that she could wear in the Muggle world without looking like a teenager trying to be an adult. Finding them, she proceeded to get a selection of tops and blouses, and finally some underwear. Catching herself before she went to pay, she made her way to the shoe department and bought some black flats. On her way back to the hotel she popped into a make-up shop and bought some foundation and bobby-pins, reasoning that if she covered her scar and pinned her fringe back it might make her less noticeable in Diagon Alley, given her fringe covering her scar was apparently such a trademark of hers that it warranted an entire article by Rita Skeeter during her Fourth Year. ' _I mean honestly, how ridiculous '"Miss Potter, pictured with her trademark fringe covering the sign we all want to see. The sign of her victory over You-Know-Who! The people want to know! Why does she insist on covering the evidence of her triumph!"' Evidence of triumph my arse! How about reminder of the night my parents were brutally murdered? Stupid cow!'_ Lost in thought as she was, Ali made it back to the hotel in what seemed like no time at all. She had another shower, selected the green skirt with a cream coloured blouse and matching cardigan, double checked that the welts on her back weren't visible through her clothes, and her scar was sufficiently hidden, then left once again for Gringotts.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish it, I do not own Harry Potter, nor any and all of its subsidiaries as owned by J.K Rowling, Warner Bros etc. All characters, and so far all places, belong to J.K Rowling. Only the ongoing plot of this story is mine, and I do not make, nor wish to make, any money from this story.**

 **AN:** _'Italics'_ = Ali's private thoughts.

 _~"Gobbledygook"~_

Two o'clock that afternoon found Ali sitting in Ragnok's office wondering just how much more this meeting was going to change her life. After the required greetings were exchanged Ragnok broke the silence by remarking, "I must say, you are looking much improved from the earlier hours of this morning Lady Potter. You seemed, well, suffice to say, a little under the weather. I understand that what I'm about to say steps outside the bounds of propriety, but might I suggest you consider visiting a healer? I'd offer you the services of ours, but needless to say a Goblin in vastly different to a Witch."

Ali had tensed slightly when he mentioned a healer and shot a defensive yet curious glare towards Ragnok. ' _How on earth did he know?'_ thought Ali rather frantically. Ragnok held up a placating hand and simply explained, "A Goblin has a vastly superior sense of smell to a human."

Slightly placated she conceded that that was probably a good idea. Merlin knows how much damage has been inflicted upon her body over the years. "That is probably a good idea Ragnok. Thank you. And yes, I'm feeling much improved since this morning. It's a wonder what a bit of sleep and some food can do for one's spirits."

Ragnok gave a slight chuckle and cleared his throat, "Yes well, we ought to get on. In regards to your Inheritance Test and the questions you had regarding it, I believe the last thing we have to discuss is your Magical Guardian and the implications surrounding that? Unless of course you've come up with further questions?" At Ali's shake of her head in denial of further questions, Ragnok continued. "Albus Dumbledore was named your Magical Guardian upon the sealing of your Parents will by the Wizengamot."

"Their Will was sealed? Why on earth would their Will be sealed? Does that mean I may not have had to go to the Dursley's?" At the conclusion of Ali's little outburst she shot a sheepish look at Ragnok, "Apologies Ragnok for interrupting you."

"Thank you. As I was saying, your Parents' Will was sealed on the 2nd November 1981. Dumbledore claimed to have followed your Parents instructions exactly in regards to your placement and cited your continued safety from rogue Death Eaters as reason to seal the Will. Whether this is true or not, I do not know. The Bank tried to fight the sealing of the Will, but against the Wizengamot and Dumbledore, there was almost no chance of success and as you know, we failed. We have a copy, but we can't unseal it until the Wizengamot orders it unsealed, or, until their Heir orders it read upon their coming of age or emancipation. Now, a Magical Guardian is tasked with ensuring their charge's physical, emotional and financial wellbeing as well as their education in their station in life. As you did not live with him prior to Hogwarts, he was obligated to check up on your progress regularly. He was to inform you of your standing in the Wizarding World, particularly in regards to your Peerage and the duties and responsibilities that that entails. The list goes on but that gives you the basic idea. Unfortunately, it would seem he failed in at least one of these aspects."

Ragnok raised an eyebrow at Ali's snort of disbelief. "I would say he failed at all those requirements. I had no idea the Wizarding World existed until I was handed my Hogwarts letter by Hagrid. He certainly never checked up on me in the years prior to that. And as you know, I knew nothing of my Peerage let alone any duties or responsibilities that come with it. Anyway, please continue Ragnok."

"As your Magical Guardian, Dumbledore is entitled to payment for such a service, he authorised the maximum amount of G2,000 to be paid monthly to him from the Potter Accounts. That's a total of G320,000 since November 1981. If we can prove that he did not meet the requirements of his Magical Guardianship, then we can fight to have at least some of the money returned."

"This is going to be an absolute mess isn't it? I have a very bad feeling that it's only going to get worse."

"Probably. Frankly I think it's already a mess. Moving on however, I believe our next step is to have your Parents Will read. I believe I'm right in saying that you wish to wrest as much control over your life from Dumbledore's hands as possible?

"If it keeps me from ever returning to the Dursley's then definitely, but I'm not of age for another year and I highly doubt the Wizengamot will unseal it. The Ministry isn't all that fond of me for some reason."

"Nor I." Ragnok chuckled, "Nevertheless, you can unseal the Will as you were emancipated on the 31st October 1994 at the start of the Triwizard Tournament." At Ali's confused look, he continued, "The rules of that particular tournament stated that you could only compete if you were of age. Dumbledore, as your Magical Guardian could have refused your entry, instead, by allowing you to compete he gave his tacit approval of your coming of age. His position as your Magical Guardian and Chief Warlock gave this 'motion', if you like, legal standing. The accompanying agreement from two Heads of a Ministry Department, as well as the Minister of Magic himself, along with the agreement of the other two Heads of School, provided said 'motion' with legal approval without needing to be presented to the Wizengamot. Without the above approvals, the Goblet of Fire would not have allowed your participation as you would have been deemed underage which would have violated the rules. Does that make sense?"

Ali sat there stunned, she had been an adult in the eyes of the law for almost 2 years. " _I could have escaped the Dursley's years ago, I could have spent more time with Sirius. No! Stopping that train of thought now!'_ Shaking herself out of her thoughts she returned her attention to Ragnok. "Yes, Ragnok, that makes perfect sense. Now, how do I go about unsealing my Parents' Will?"

Ragnok pulled out a large yellowing envelope. Written on the front was 'The Last Will and Testament of Lord James Charlus Potter', on the back the envelope was sealed with, what Ali assumed was the Potter Family Crest. "Lady Potter, please place a drop of your blood on the middle of the crest and say, 'I, Alexandria Lillian Potter, daughter and heir to Lord James Charlus Potter do hereby demand his last words and wishes be spoken. So I have sworn, so mote it be!' whilst holding your hand against the envelope."

Ali took a trembling breath and picked up the envelope and placed it face down on the desk in her front of her. She took the dagger she'd used earlier, shaking slightly as she did so and pressed the point against her fingertip, in no time at all a bead of blood had collected on her finger. She stood up, placed the drop of blood on the seal, and placed her hand flat over it, then she repeated Ragnok's words. "I, Alexandria Lillian Potter, daughter and heir to Lord James Charlus Potter do hereby demand his last words and wishes be spoken. So I have sworn, so mote it be!" As soon as she finished speaking the envelope began emitting a warm yellow glow and Ali felt a strange, yet welcome sensation travel through and around her as the envelope, or the magics surrounding the envelope, tested her claims. Once it stopped Ali looked up at Ragnok with an enquiring eye and he gestured for her to retake her seat. The envelope floated up off the desk, and for the second time in her life, that she could remember, Ali heard her Father's voice.

"I, Lord James Charlus Potter, being of sound body and mind do hereby declare this to be my Last Will and Testament. As Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, I leave the entirety of the House of Potter, and all monies, assets, responsibilities and duties that entails, to my Daughter and Heir, Alexandria Lillian Potter; to be held in trust by my wife, Lady Lily Anne Potter (née Evans). Should my wife pass away alongside me, the House of Potter is to be held in trust and proxy by Heir Sirius Orion Black, Godfather and Blood-Adopted Father of my Daughter.

To my darling wife, Lady Lily Anne Potter, I know we expect to go together, but if by some miracle you survive me, I leave the House of Potter in your capable hands until Ali comes of age. I know financially, you'll never want for anything. Unfortunately, there isn't much more I can give you, aside from an undying declaration of my love. Live your life Lily-Flower. Raise our beautiful girl. Make sure she laughs, plays pranks and if you even think of preventing her from playing Quidditch at the earliest opportunity I'll come back from the dead and charm all your clothes permanently orange! Love you Lily-Flower.

To Sirius Orion Black, you're rich already so I'm not giving you any of my money, instead I'm giving you my copy of the Marauder Handbook. Needless to say, it's far better than yours and it'll give you some ideas on keeping the boys away from my little girl, it also has the address of a Muggle Convent that you can send her to should she get too beautiful.

To Remus John Lupin, I leave you one hundred thousand Galleons. Get some clothes Moony, and stop moping! Sirius, and Lily I pray, is going to need your help raising my little Ali. Make sure she's a little Marauderess, has a nice ring to it don't you think? Oh, and forget about your furry little problem and find some woman to settle down with, being alone doesn't suit you Moony.

To Peter Pettigrew, I leave you one hundred thousand Galleons. However, if I was killed by Voldemort then I rescind that. Peter was our Secret Keeper, and if Voldemort killed me then it can only be by Peter revealing our location. Should this be the case, then I hope you burn in the deepest pits of hell Peter!

Just to clarify before I continue, Sirius Black was not our Secret Keeper. He, and Lily and I agreed, felt that he was too obvious a choice and we feared the Death Eaters and Voldemort would show no hesitation in torturing him to reveal the secret. Thus we switched Secret Keepers to Peter. Albus Dumbledore can attest to this as he cast the Fidelius.

To Minerva McGonagall, I leave you ten thousand Galleons for the Transfiguration Department, and an apology for any headaches I caused you in school, and I suppose any future headaches my little Ali will probably cause you. She's a little hellfire. Oh, I almost forgot, I also leave you the finest Scotch Whiskey in the Family cellar, as well as a vial of Hangover Draught for the morning after. You're the best Minnie!

To Albus Dumbledore, I leave you with a lifetime's supply of your favourite lemon drops. Hope you enjoy them old man. Thank you for all you've done for us.

I think that's me done for bequests, I could go on all day listing every person I've ever met but well, that's a bit excessive even for me, so I'll simply say that to everyone I ever met, I love you, unless you were a death eater or Voldie himself of course.

Moving on, custody of my daughter will be given to the following people.

Lady Lily Anne Potter (née Evans)

Heir Sirius Orion Black

Lady Alice Longbottom (née Smith)

Minerva McGonagall

Lady Amelia Bones

Should the above people be unavailable, Alexandria is to be placed up for adoption with a Magical Family.

Under no circumstances is Alexandria to be placed in the custody of Lily's Muggle sister, Petunia and her Husband, Vernon Dursley. She preferably will never meet these people. They are vile, magic-hating Muggles and I will not have my daughter exposed to that.

Now, Ali, my beautiful baby girl. I thought the day I married your mother was the best day of my life, never had I been prouder or more blessed than I was that day. That was up until the day I held you in my arms, and as much as I love your mother, the love I have for you swallowed it whole. You're my everything baby girl. You're the one good thing I did in my life. I hope I died for you, there's no other way I'd want to go. But, if that is the case, please don't ever blame yourself, if given an option I'd die for you every time. Please be happy my little Marauderess, smile, laugh, have fun, play on the Quidditch team, and sneak dates behind your mother or Sirius's back. Be free. If Voldemort is still a problem when you're reading this, remember, some stupid crack pot may have said it can only be you that can kill him, but that does not mean you have to do it alone, it does not mean you have to do it at all. In fact I'd much rather you got the hell off this island and went to live in Tahiti or something. I think we might own a bungalow in Hawaii actually. Anyway, know that I love you darling, and I'm so proud of you, whatever decisions you make in your life, know that will always be true. Good luck my darling. I'll always be watching over you.

And that concludes the Last Will and Testament of Lord James Charlus Potter. Witnessed by Lady Lily Anne Potter (née Evans) and Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, (Order of Merlin 1st Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwamp of the International Confederation of Wizards, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Leader of the Order of the Phoenix,) on this day, the 14th September 1981."

And Ali sobbed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, ' _That was my Dad, Merlin he loved me, and he's so funny, was so funny. People always say, but it's one thing to be told and another to experience. Merlin I miss him; I so wish I knew him. But that, that…'_ "That Fucker!" she screamed, "He knew! He knew Sirius was innocent and he sent him to Azkaban anyway. Two! Two of those people are still alive, well three if you count Lady Longbottom, and surely if she was my Godmother I'd have been given to her and then to Neville's Gran once they were incapacitated. God, I could have had a Godbrother. I could have grown goddammit! I could have had friends, gone to a magical school, known all about my heritage and never had a thrashing once in my Merlin forsaken life. Never known what it means to be starved, worked like a house elf, dammit I never would have been raped! I am going to kill that manipulative old goat fucker. I am going to hang him from the rafters with his own beard. I'm going to force so many of those bloody lemon drops down his throat that he'll choke on them. Better yet I'll stuff them full of a poison and hold his mouth shut!" Her rant was suddenly interrupted when Ali found herself flat on her back with two consecutive calming draughts being forced down her throat.

Ragnok was becoming more and more concerned as he watched the young Lady pace, gesticulating wildly and ranting incoherently. When he felt the magic in the room rising and the walls begin to shake, he decided that was enough. He tackled his wealthiest customer to the floor and force fed her two calming draughts. After she coughed and spluttered a little, Ragnok finally felt her swallow and the potions take effect, just in time for two of the Security Goblins to come rushing into the office, ~ _"What in King's name is going on in here Master Goblin Ragnok?"~_ Ragnok lifted himself up the floor, held a hand out to placate the Security Goblins, whilst extending the other to aid Lady Potter up off the floor, once he deposited her in her seat he turned to the two Goblins who were looking remarkably anxious at his show of chivalry. ~ _"Calm my friends. It was just a little case of accidental magic. Happens to the best of us, she may be legally emancipated, but that does not make her an adult by magic, her core is still stabilising and she received some very distressing news. Fear not my friends, she will of course be paying for the damage. Now, please leave us."~_ As the door closed he returned to his desk, called a tea service and placed a cup before the Lady Potter, he then sat down and waited as patiently as a Goblin can for the Lady Potter to put herself together.

Ali sat there trying to work her way through her muddy, calming draught laced thoughts, as she did so, she realised her magic had got away from her. Upon returning to the current dimension she looked around her, noticed the cracks in the walls, the books thrown all over the room and the contents of the desk joining them, she gasped, "Merlin, I am so sorry Ragnok, I wasn't expecting that sort of news. Please take all funds needed for repairs from my vaults."

Ragnok looked at her, the picture of contrition and chuckled. "Fear not my Lady, the cost of repairs has already been taken from your vault, though I thank you for your permission regardless."

Ali made a sort of half chuckle half sob kind of sound and lapsed back into silence, thinking deeply. Fifteen or so minutes later, she broke it. "I am going to ruin him, I'm going to get him fired from every office he holds, I'm going to make the public turn on him. And then I'm going to kill him, or send him to Azkaban, suppose it depends on whether I can restrain myself. Tell me Ragnok, with my Father's Will, does that make restoring the funds he effectively stole easier?"

Looking into the Avada coloured eyes that promised ruin and damnation, Ragnok was very glad that he was not Albus Dumbledore, nor come to think of it, Sharpnik, Dumbledore's account manager. If Ragnok was a betting man, which he was, he'd bet his life savings that Dumbledore was in for a world of hurt. "Yes, Lady Potter it does, he had no claim to you based upon your Father's Will. All we'd need to do is prove that to the Wizengamot and then we'd be free to restore the funds should they exist in his vault. If not, he'd be remanded to the Goblin mines to pay off the outstanding balance. Would you like me to move ahead on this course?"

"No, definitely not, not yet at least. I'd like you to start compiling evidence. I've a feeling this is a far wider reaching web than it originally appears, and the last thing I want to do is tip him off that I know. I'm 99% certain that he was the one to place the mail ward upon me, after all, two conversations and we've already uncovered at least a part of his corruption, and I can't believe that a man capable of hoodwinking the entire Wizengamot into sealing my Parents' Will would not have made contingency plans for exactly this circumstance. Is there any way you can find out what he did with the money he took from my accounts and is he still receiving those funds given I was emancipated?"

"Yes, that would be a wiser course of action, after all, he didn't just gain money from becoming your Magical Guardian, but also your rights to the Wizengamot, he has been voting, in your stead since November 1981, it's one of the reasons he's retained the position of Chief Warlock; he holds too many votes to displace him. The Potter vote is worth 3, given that he knows of the relationship between you and Sirius Orion Black, he may well have the Black vote too which is another 3. Whilst his 'Guardianship' of you ended on 31st October 1994, it is not that difficult to sweep that alert under the rug and continue on. And yes, this means all his votes using the Potter, and possibly Black seats are illegal, and gives you recourse to overturn them should you so choose. As to your question, no, all funds were stopped upon your emancipation, Gringotts is rather more stringent and thorough than the Ministry. As to discovering how he spent the money taken from your vaults, I will do my best, but I cannot promise anything. There are two laws governing the operation of our Bank, one is 'We do not tolerate theft', and the second, 'We keep all our clients activities confidential.' This creates quite a conflict for Sharpnik, the Dumbledore Account Manager, but as I say, I'll do my best. Now, are you ready to hear your Mother's Will? If so, simply repeat the same procedure."

Ali sat silently for a few minutes, preparing herself for what was to come. She then picked up the second envelope and repeated the same actions to open her Mother's Will, and finally the wondrous sound of her Mother's voice reached her ears.

"I, Lady Lily Anne Potter (née Evans), being of sound body and mind do hereby declare this to be my Last Will and Testament.

My darling Ali, I give to you all my diaries, copies of my research and all my personal belongings beside that which I bequeath to others. I hope you'll forgive me for not bequeathing any of my personal finances to you, but given you're the Heir to the Potter Family and all that entails, I think you'll understand that there's little point in adding to it for you. You are my sun and stars, the light of my life. Nothing I've ever achieved shines a candle to the joy I feel when I look at you. I'm sorry to have left you my darling. I hope you've grown up happy, loved and cared for; but if not, know that you have always had your Mother's love. I am so proud of you sweetheart. Just the other day you had your first case of accidental magic, it seems you've taken a shine to my necklace. It took me hours for you to let go of it, though I suppose I can't blame you, diamonds and emeralds really are beautiful. You have good taste my little girl, diamonds and emeralds will go with everything, just so you know. Your father maintains that it was accidental magic; given the effort you went too to keep it on you, I don't know, seemed rather intentional to me, but what do I know? I'm no expert in Magical Theory as relates to Newborns. But either way, you made me so proud, as long as you don't become a kleptomaniac. Ali, I love you. You are my pride and joy. Go out into the world and be happy, whatever it takes. Just be happy. Know that I am always watching over you my love, and I will support you, whatever path you choose to follow. I love you Alexandria, now and forever.

Now, onto the bequests;

To Severus Tobias Snape. My dear Sev, I leave to you all my Potion research journals, as well as a letter of apology. I wronged you Severus, and I am so sorry. You are my dearest friend, my only brother, always, and whatever wrong you feel you perpetrated against me, I forgive you for. I know it was you who delivered the first half of the prophecy to Voldemort, but I forgive you. Whatever may happen to me, including my death, it was not your fault. In fact, it was mine. I was a stubborn, foolish idiot and I refused to listen to your apology and I really don't know why. I left you alone and for that I am so sorry. I am to blame for whatever came after, you needed me and I abandoned you. I'm so sorry. I hear you're teaching at Hogwarts these days, I really can't understand why, you hate people, especially children, and so I leave you with all I have as Lily Evans, one hundred and seventy thousand Galleons. Go complete your Mastery (yes, I've been keeping tabs on you), go open a shop, or apply to a research facility. Sell Spinner's End and just be happy Sev, please. I love you, with all my heart. Be happy.

To Alice Longbottom (née Smith). I leave to you my diary detailing our friendship at Hogwarts. Thank you Alice for taking a scared little girl and showing her the ways of this marvellous world that she suddenly found herself in. Please take care of my little girl, raise her with all the morals you know I value, make sure she's happy.

To Filius Flitwick. I leave to you all the journals detailing my charms research, there are a few things in there that I hope you might find interesting, publish them if you think they're worth that. I'd like to think I improved the world a little bit, even if it's only with a few spells. Finally, I just want to say thank you Professor, for mentoring and nurturing my talent. It has been a pleasure and an honour to know you.

Those are the only bequests I have, there are others, but I believe James has covered them already. Though I would like to reaffirm that if I die at the hand of Voldemort, then it was due to Peter Pettigrew as our Secret Keeper in the Fidelius Charm.

As to the custody of our daughter, the following people shall be given custody:-

Lord James Charlus Potter

Heir Sirius Orion Black

Lady Alice Longbottom (née Smith)

Minerva McGonagall

Lady Amelia Bones

Should the above people be unavailable, Alexandria is to be placed up for adoption with a Magical Family.

Under no circumstances is Alexandria to be placed in the custody of my Muggle sister, Petunia and her Husband, Vernon Dursley. She preferably will never meet these people. Petunia is horribly jealous of the Magical World and me, so I fear the way she'd treat my daughter. As for her Husband, he is a vile bully with a phobia of magic. He is a reprehensible character and I do not want my daughter to have anything to do with that hate.

And that concludes the Last Will and Testament of Lady Lily Anne Potter (née Evans.) Witnessed by Lord James Charlus Potter and Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, (Order of Merlin 1st Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwamp of the International Confederation of Wizards, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Leader of the Order of the Phoenix,) on this day, the 14th September 1981."

Ali sat silently, tears streaming down her face. The anger she felt earlier had dispersed, and all that was left was a deep, overwhelming sadness at all she'd lost.

 **AN:** Thank you for reading and please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Once again, as much as I wish it, I do not own Harry Potter, nor any and all of its subsidiaries as owned by J.K Rowling, Warner Bros etc. All characters, and so far all places, belong to J.K Rowling. Only the ongoing plot of this story is mine, and I do not make, nor wish to make, any money from this story.**

 **AN:** _'Italics'_ = Ali's private thoughts.

 _~"Gobbledygook"~_

Ali spent the next hour or so toing and froing with Ragnok over their next steps as she had absolutely no idea of where to start. Fortunately, Ragnok was inordinately helpful, it seems that proof of theft, or more accurately in this case, fraud, earns you a one-way ticket to Goblin's shit list. ' _All the better for me though. Ha!'_ Though a very healthy bank balance may have helped too.

"So we are agreed Lady Potter, you shall claim all your Headships. I shall contact Lord Belby on your behalf and enquire as to whether he'd be interested in re-commencing his position as the Potter Family Lawyer, if he is, then a meeting shall be arranged to take place here. Through him, hopefully you will find a Healer to document your treatment at your relatives. I shall attempt to follow the money trail left by Dumbledore in regards to the money he took from your vault. You will handle all bequests made by your parents privately, having already vetoed the bequest made to Dumbledore. Then it is a case of gathering allies that can be exposed to the truth. And all the while we will continue to compile evidence against Dumbledore so he can be brought to justice at a later date."

"Yes, that sounds about right. Oh, post. I shall need a way to keep in touch with you without risking whatever mail ward is on me."

"Ahhh, yes I knew there was something we were overlooking. Here, a mailbox. It essentially acts as a Vanishing Cabinet, but for post. Simply place your letter within and I shall receive it almost simultaneously. Now for the rings." Ragnok turned and opened a small cupboard door that Ali hadn't previously noticed, in fact given the amount of time she's spent in this office, she's quite certain it wasn't there before. A bright flash came from the cupboard after which Ragnok returned with four ring boxes.

"Now, we will start with the Potter Ring, place it onto your right ring finger. You will most likely feel a strange sensation when you first put it on. That's the Family Magics testing you, if it accepts you then the ring will resize."

Ali picked up the box and took out the ring with a hand that was only giving off a slight tremor of apprehension. The ring itself was quite beautiful. It was a large oval ruby with a gold Thestral somehow painted upon it, or perhaps imprinted, set in an engraved band of yellow gold. Deciding to decipher whatever runes or scriptures were engraved upon the ring at a later date, Ali slipped the ring onto her finger. As soon as it was placed Ali felt a foreign presence wash through her. It had the impression of being old, almost ancient, yet new and invigorating, it was warm, and it was cold, it was gentle and it was harsh, but above all, it was powerful. Once she thought it was finished however, then came the almost mind-splitting pain of foreign knowledge and family secrets being planted within her consciousness.

"Argh! Merlin that's uncomfortable. Though I can at least understand somewhat why Dumblefuck would want to keep this knowledge from me. Who wants a pliable saviour that has the knowledge of spells that could kill with a word, or the ability to hide behind nigh on impenetrable wards?" ' _Potter Manor, here I come!'_

"I thought it might be." Ragnok offered with what he must have assumed to be conciliatory expression, but to Ali appeared rather gleeful, _'Well, never let it be said that Goblins aren't a blood-thirsty lot.'_ She snorted dryly to herself and continued.

Ali repeated the same process for the rest of the rings. The Black Ring; featuring, funnily enough, a black diamond with a silver Raven imprinted upon it, and surrounded by a number of far smaller white diamonds, put up far more of a fight than the Potter Ring. It was colder, harsher, darker, and seemed unwilling to bend before the young Lady Potter, eventually though, it succumbed. Ironically, given her status of Heir Presumptive, the Gryffindor ring was the most welcoming of all of them. It consisted of a garnet with a gold lion, and whilst it tested her worth, Ali felt welcomed by the foreign magic surrounding her. The last ring however, put up the greatest fight. To Ali it almost felt as though she were battling Voldemort in the grave yard, with nothing but her force of will to aid her once again. It was freezing, it was brutal, it was oddly playful in a way, as though teasing a being of lesser worth, finally though, it accepted Ali as it's ruler and sunk to join the others. The Slytherin ring was a green gemstone, it seemed far darker than an emerald, surrounded by white diamonds, with a silver coiled Basilisk upon its surface. Upon all the rings joining they formed a single ring with an oval Black Diamond at its centre, surrounded by a series of very small circular White Diamonds, which in turn were followed by a circle of small oval shaped green Tsavorite Garnets, which were surrounded once again by small circular White Diamonds interspersed with red Rubies, with the whole ring being set in Yellow Gold. With merely a thought, she had the ring sink into her finger, with no indication that it was ever there to begin with.

Ragnok handed her a pain potion to alleviate her headache having assumed so much information so quickly.

"Thank you Ragnok. I shall take my leave now, of course you know where to contact me, and should you need to find me, I will be staying at Potter Manor. I will have you keyed into the wards as soon as I know how, best send me a letter prior."

Ragnok handed her a small ceremonial dagger, "From your vaults Lady Potter, I feel you may need it. May your gold always flow and the hearts of your enemies fail at the sight of you."

With a dry chuckle, Ali returned his greetings and set off to portkey to her new home. ' _Head of House rings, what a marvellous invention you are.'_

After a rather nauseating Portkey journey, Ali found herself deposited in front a huge set of silver gates. They were at least 12-foot-tall and she had a sneaking suspicion they were Tungsten but preferred not to think of such an ostentatious show of wealth. Cutting her hand with the dagger, she spread her blood across the crest decorating the gates. After a brief feeling of warm spread through her, Ali found herself on a driveway with ancient English Oaks planted either side. After a half hour of following the driveway, Ali caught her first glimpse of Potter Manor. ' _Merlin's beard!_ _Manor my arse, that's a bloody palace!'_

Potter Manor was a colossal structure, four stories high at the centre, six windows across, topped with a glass dome which was most likely an Astronomy Tower. To either side were wings of three stories, spanning the length of twelve windows to each side, with another smaller glass dome at either end. The whole building was constructed in what looked like white limestone. It screamed wealth and power, without being ostentatious, it was hugely intimidating, yet the warmth Ali felt from the wards and surrounding magics meant she could only feel one thing upon entering this building. ' _Home!'_

Ali walked up to the front doors, two dark English oak doors nearly eight feet high with the Potter Family Crest carved across them, with the family motto, _Sanguinem Gloriam Tuam_ (Honour Thy Blood), carved above. Ali pressed her hand to the centre of the crest and the doors swung open soundlessly revealing the majestic Entrance Hall. The floor was made up of polished cream limestone with small square black tiles interspersed. The walls were the same limestone as the outside building but it was carved with a series of arches creating blocks of shadow. The only light source was the huge dome that could be viewed from outside, and three chandeliers, one larger than the others, hanging above the other two. She could see a door on either side of her, and ahead of her was a majestic staircase, though she could see somewhat hidden passages running behind the staircase.

 _ **POP!**_

Ali was startled out of her musings by the arrival of nine house elves. Unlike Dobby they were dressed respectfully, the girls in white blouses with black skirts, the Potter Crest printed above their hearts. The boys were dressed similarly, the only difference being black trousers. In the second or so that it took her to process this, Ali was besieged by hysterical house-elves.

"Oh! Mistress Ali. You is home! Tippy tried to bring you home. But Tippy couldn't. Tippy is so sorry Mistress Ali!"

"Miss Ali. You is home! You is never leaving again are you Miss Ali?"

"Little Miss Ali. You is all grown up now. Leppy should have been there. Leppy is so sorry Little Miss Ali!"

Ali was knocked to the floor by her hysterical house elves, all of them expressing their undying love and devotion, but one thing stuck out, ' _They tried to bring me home?'_

"Shhh. It's alright now." The hysterical house elves managed to pull themselves together a little, though there was the occasional sniffle. "Tippy, I think?...you said you tried to bring me home?"

Tippy nodded frantically, "Oh yes Mistress Ali, we tried many times, and we brought you home but then bad man with white beard would take you away again. We couldn't stop him! Elves can't change the ward book, and then one day we couldn't find you again. We tried! But we couldn't find Miss Ali. Tippy is so sorry Mistress Ali!" And the poor elf promptly dissolved into hysterical sobs.

Ali felt her heart break, people had tried to find her, tried to keep her safe and Dumblefuck had prevented it. She gathered the distraught elves in her arms, and thought, _'This is right, these people love me unconditionally, and Albus Dumbledore is going to rue the day he crossed me. This I so swear!'_

 **AN:** If you'd like to see the ring I've chosen as Ali's combined Head of House Ring, I've selected it as my profile picture. It's quite audacious, but for a ring that combines all those four families, I figure it couldn't be anything but audacious. I'll leave it to you to decide why the primary colours in it are those of the House's she had to fight hardest with to assume control… ;)

If you'd like to know my inspiration behind Potter Manor, then have a look at Castle Howard. That's pretty much how I pictured it, though a smidgen smaller and with a white-ish stone rather than a yellowing one. And if you happen to find a photo of it from the front with the extended wings enveloping the courtyard, then I've cut those out in my mental picture of Potter Manor because I have a slight obsession with symmetry... Oh, there is also a reason why I'm specifying that the Manor was built using all British materials (I'm not being weirdly nit-picky lol.) I don't want to go into too much detail now as it'll become important in later chapters, but the short of it is that different countries have slightly different magics running through the earth so to maximise a Family's connection to their Manor and therefore their Family Magic, their manors need to be built using materials from that country. To use materials from other countries would be like trying to fit a square peg to a round hole…you could make it work, but there'll be gaps.


End file.
